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8 May 2024 - Chefchaouen, Morocco to Cadiz, Spain
I had a very bad night's sleep due to my cold. I didn't want to get up but we had to leave the hotel at 08.30 to ensure we reached the port of Tangier Med in time for our ferry to Spain. It was sunny when we left Chefchaouen but it was very windy and cloudy as we drove through Tetouan an hour later.
The countryside was very green and we passed several dams that were fairly full. The nearby Rif mountains must provide a good rain catchment area as the southern part of Morocco is suffering from drought.
The ferry sailing time was 13.30 but the ferries are often very late. We arrived at the port at 11.00 and were pleased to see our ferry in the port. There were several passport, ticket and customs checks as well as the process of having the car X-rayed!
We drove onto the ferry at 12.00 and they announced that the ferry would leave at 13.00, which would have been 30 minutes early! However, the ferry only departed Tangier at 14.00. This could have been because a lot of trucks were loaded onto the ferry after we had boarded.
We were relieved to leave Morocco without being caught by one of the numerous police roadblocks! We are also very relieved that there were no mechanical issues with the car in Morocco.
We finally reached our apartment in Cadiz at 17.45. It had been a long day and I had been very unwell. The owner of the apartment met us and directed us into the underground garage. He said it was easy to park but it wasn't! The entrance was very tight and the parking space even tighter. Unfortunately this is often the case in Spain.
It was very windy in Cadiz and unfortunately it was forecast to continue for several days.
9 May 2024 - Cadiz
We had a relaxing morning and did our laundry. I was feeling a lot better but still a bit tired. Unfortunately Lani had caught my cold and she didn't have a good night's sleep.
At midday we drove 30 minutes to the historic centre of Cadiz. We were shocked to see 3 huge cruise ships in the port and a lot of passengers walking around. Cruise ships are another of our dislikes as it floods out places of interest.
We had a good meal at a restaurant and then walked around the coastline of the historic centre of Cadiz visiting 2 forts, 2 cathedrals and a park. By the end Lani wasn't feeling well so we walked back to the car park through the historic centre. When we got back to the apartment I parked on the street instead of in the garage!
10 May 2024 - Cadiz
Lani was feeling very unwell today so we just relaxed in the apartment.
11 May 2024 - Outing to Jerez de la Frontera
Lani felt a little better today so we set off for Jerez de la Frontera which was a 30 minute drive away from our apartment. The Rough Guide Book said it was an elegant and prosperous town and famous for sherry and brandy.
I researched car parks in Jerez de la Frontera before leaving as parking can be a nightmare in some Spanish towns. I found a car park in the centre (Parking APK2 Plaza del Arenal) that had good reviews and the parking spaces didn't seem to be too tight. It turned out to be very central, cheap and the parking spaces were okay for Spain.
Jerez de la Frontera is certainly an elegant and very pleasant town. We couldn't participate in sherry tasting as I was driving and Lani was sick. The main thing to do was to visit the Alcazar (fort). It was built in the 11th century and formed part of the city's defences.
The entry price to the Alcazar was Eur 5 but as we are over 65 we only had to pay Eur 1.80! It turned out to be a real bargain as there was much more to see than we had thought. We spent more than an hour wandering around and really enjoyed our visit.
Lani was still feeling ill so we had a late lunch in the Plaza del Arenal and drove back to our apartment. This cold has badly affected us for a few days but luckily it wasn't at a crucial stage of our itinerary. There is a lot more to do at our next stop in Seville and it would have been a shame not to be able to enjoy it.
12 May 2024 - Cadiz to Seville
There have been high winds in Cadiz since we arrived 4 days ago but thankfully this morning the wind finally died down. Unfortunately Cadiz often has high winds between May and October and it is known as the Levante wind.
We left Cadiz at 12.30 as it was only a 1 hour 40 minute drive to Seville. It was a hot day and as we drove the temperature reached 31 centigrade. It was a good highway to Seville and free like all the other highways we have so far used in Spain.
We had booked a 2 bedroom apartment in Seville for 4 nights through Booking.com and it cost Eur 150 a night. It had free parking which is a big bonus in Seville. Accommodation in Seville is expensive and parking is difficult. We couldn't find a decent hotel room for less than Eur 150 a night in Seville when including parking and breakfast.
It is always more of a hassle checking into an apartment than a hotel. The hassles began when the owner of the apartment in Seville wanted us to use an App to record our passport details before giving us the apartment address.
We have been required to do this for some of our other bookings in Spain. Sometimes the Apps are easy to use and sometimes they aren't! This App was in Spanish and was complicated. We therefore emailed our passports to the owner and he entered the details for us.
When we arrived in Seville we had to collect the apartment keys from a bar, then park the car in an underground car park and afterwards walk 5 minutes to the apartment. It was a bit complicated but it worked out alright in the end. The apartment was very nice.
Lani was still feeling off from her cold and as we had 4 nights in Seville we just did some grocery shopping and relaxed for the rest of the day.
13 May 2024 - Seville
There is a lot to see in Seville. The 2 main sites are the Cathedral and the Royal Alcazar and I had booked tickets online for both of them to save queuing for tickets. For today we had tickets for the Cathedral and its tower (La Giralda). The tickets usually cost Eur 17 but we paid Eur 11 as we got an over 65 discount.
The cathedral only opens at 10.45 each morning and we had tickets for 10.50. We arrived a bit early and were dismayed to see so many tour groups in the vicinity. If you have read any of my other posts you will know that we don't like tour groups and mass tourism. Although we didn't like the sight of the tour groups the sight of the cathedral was very impressive.
The construction of the cathedral commenced in 1402 and it took just over a century to complete. It was built on the huge rectangular base of an old Almohad mosque. The total area of Seville's cathedral covers 11,520 square metres, making it the largest Gothic cathedral in the world.
La Giralda was originally the minaret of the mosque but it was converted into the cathedral's bell tower. The Moors wanted to destroy it before the Christians' reconquest of Seville but the Moors were threatened with death if they removed a single stone.
The impressive tomb of Christopher Columbus is in the cathedral. His remains were transferred here in the early 1900's when Cuba gained independence.
We spent about 2.5 hours in Seville's very impressive and opulent cathedral. Afterwards we had lunch in a nearby restaurant and then walked to the Plaza de Toros which is Seville's historic bull fighting arena dating back to the 18th century. Luckily we got a reduced rate for being over 65 as there wasn't much to see.
From there we walked over to the Torre del Oro (Tower of Gold) which was built in the 13th century as a defensive lookout tower. It used to have a companion tower on the opposite bank, with a metal chain stretched between them, to prevent hostile ships from sailing upriver.
14 May 2024 - Seville
In the morning we walked via the Murillo gardens to the 17th century Hospital de la Caridad. It has an excellent chapel and several paintings by famous artists. The hospital obviously didn't lack funding!
Afterwards we wandered around Seville and its old Jewish area until lunch time. Seville is an exceptionally pleasant city and unfortunately many tourists like it! For lunch we had tapas at a bar called Casa Pepe Hillo which had good reviews on the internet. The food was good.
For the afternoon we had tickets for the Royal Alcazar and the tickets included a guided tour of the Royal apartments. The normal cost was Eur 20 but we again benefited from being over 65 by getting a reduced rate of Eur 13.50!
Our tour of the Royal Apartments was at 15.30 and we had to be there at least 15 minutes before that. They have strict security as the apartments are still used by the Royal family at times. It was only a 25 minute tour but it was very interesting. Unfortunately it was forbidden to take photos.
We then continued around Seville's Royal Alcazar (the Royal Palace). It was originally built as a citadel in 10th century by the Moors. The Almohads developed it into a larger palace complex in the 12th and 13th centuries.
In 1364 Pedro 1 of Spain (Pedro the Cruel) ordered the construction of a Royal Residence within the Almohad palaces. We thought that the Royal Alcazar was probably more impressive than the Alhambra in Granada.
15 May 2024 - Seville
This was our last day in beautiful Seville. We walked to the Plaza de la Encarnacion where a 150 metre long by 30 metre high wooden structure was completed in 2011. It is claimed to be the world's largest timber structure and it was very impressive.
It's officially called the Metropol Parasol but everyone refers to it as Las Setas (The Mushrooms). It is possible to walk on the top of it but we didn't as the admission fee was Eur 10.
On the way to Las Setas we were surprised to pass the Pilate's House which hadn't been mentioned in our guide books. Tour groups were visiting it but we didn't enter as we knew nothing about it and the entry fee was Eur 10. I later researched the Pilate's House and it is a very beautiful mansion constructed in the 15th century.
After seeing Las Setas we walked over to the Archivo de las Indias for which there is free admission. The Archivo de Las Indias was set up in 1785 at the request of King Charles III to keep all the documents relating to the administration of the Spanish Overseas territories.
The main features of the Archivo de Las Indias are a beautiful staircase and two enormous rooms housing some 43,000 files, books and maps.
After lunch we walked to the Triana area and then onto Maria Luisa Park. This is a public park that stretches along the Guadalquivir river. The impressive Plaza de España was built in the park for the Ibero-American Expo that was held in Seville in 1929.
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